School List - Nontrad Veteran 3.2 cGPA, 3.4 sGPA, MCAT 5/10

[tiny.tinsa13]

My stats are fairly low, but I'd like to cast a wide net and see where I fit in.

Background:
- White, Female, 32 y/o
- NC Resident (husband is still in the Army)
- WV born; father was a professor at WVU for 31 years
- 8 years Active Duty Army
- 3 deployments, 2 combat, one good story about being MEDEVAC'd

Education:
- Graduated Service Academy with a 2.9 GPA in Mechanical Engineering
*Sports and Honor Committee EC's
*164 credits total, averaged 20.5 CH per semester
- Master's in Engineering Management, 4.0
- Post-Bacc at state school, 3.99 with 46 credits.
- MAPPD: 3.23 cGPA and a 3.40 sGPA
- MCAT pending (test May 10, BP FLs: 504, 506, 508, 511)

Other:
- Volunteer hours: 200+ (Food Bank and Team Rubicon disaster relief)
- Clinical hours ~200 (hospice and EMT-B, had to take time off to care for farm after dad died unexpectedly)
- Clinical research: 50, my Post Bacc A- came from a 1 credit research lab that I had to take time away from
- Non-clinical research ~500hr, 4 published papers, 3 presented, all regarding ethics and/or engineering education
- Military and civilian work experience in construction project management
(I think this is my weakest area, trying to cram in hours now while studying for MCAT, but I think MCAT takes priority)


School List:
Columbia University
Duke University - hubby is likely doing MBA here starting in Aug
Boston University
University of Michigan
Icahn SOM at Mt. Sinai - S2S veteran connection
Mayo Clinic, Phoenix - Army friend here
University of Colorado
Tufts
UNC Chapel Hill - NC resident, meet the 3.2 cutoff
University of Pittsburgh
Oregon Health and Science University
Penn State University
Wayne State University
Georgetown University
Dartmouth
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
George Washington University
University of Texas (Dell) - Stationed in TX for 5 years of Active Duty time
West Virginia University - connections to WV and WVU in particular, scholarship endowment in dad's memory
University of South Florida
USUHS
Virginia Tech
University of California - Riverside
University of Vermont
Eastern Virginia Medical School
East Carolina
Marshall University - family connections to Charleston
Rush University

Considerations:
- I'd prefer a public school for GI Bill reasons
- Interested in underserved communities
- Happy to move wherever

It's likely asking too much, but I care a lot about ethics and accessible care and I'd really like to find a school that 'fits.' I'm sure I'm missing a ton of great schools, so any feedback is greatly appreciated!

Also - is it worth reaching out to admissions committees with school specific questions, or trying to network at all?

Thanks in advance!

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[AJS59]

Keep your focus on the MCAT and you'll be set for success. Networking and questions are always helpful; I would also maybe reach out to your service academy (do they have pre-health advising? Idk).

I know they you mentioned an interest in public schools but even with that in mind I'd still remove Riverside and Oregon at least unless you have connections to either Inland Empire or Oregon. Otherwise, I think this list is a solid start — maybe needs some revision after you get an MCAT back. Others (Faha) will be able to help generate a better list.

 

[Just Call Me Doc]

Welcome from a fellow veteran and member of the TRibe (deployments to Nepal and Marianas Islands)!

Your GPA is very similar to mine (a tad higher in fact) and I didn't have any research under my belt. I think you should do pretty well getting into med school pending your MCAT. Overall your list looks good. WVU and Dartmouth are very veteran friendly from my experience and I went to UPitt. I would say that you don't necessarily need to stick with public schools for GI bill. Look at the yellow ribbon list and see what they offer for different schools. Some of them (like Pitt) will cover the rest of COA with yellow ribbon. Your NC residency is a big plus. Texas schools are tough unless your a resident but would still apply. Overall, my recommendation for non-trads with interesting background is to apply very broadly (I ended up applying to 35 schools and got 10 interviews). Also, when you get accepted to a school, definitely check out the Pat Tillman Foundation scholarship. Its a great community of veterans and a nice scholarship.

Let me know if you have any questions!

 

[wysdoc]

If you’re going to fill out the TMDSAS app for Dell, add Long School of Medicine (because of Joint Base San Antonio), Texas A&M and UTMB as schools that love military applicants.
Check out the official TMDSAS questions thread for tips, one of which is that there is a single application fee for your primary app and you can select as many schools as you want

 

[chssoccer7]

I would add ETSU (Quillen College of Medicine), big veteran bias there and not too far from NC. Also, look into VR&E if you have the requisite disability rating (20% iirc). It paid for my undergrad and is paying for my medical school. Similar to the other poster, your stats and story are similar to mine and I had no research and managed to do fairly well this cycle, so craft a good PS and interview well and you'll likely see some success assuming your MCAT is decent.